Fitzroy Island & Snorkeling

Fitzroy Island is a fantastic spot located just off Cairns in Queensland Australia.
Winter, or the dry season as it's known in QLD is a good time to visit, not too hot about 28C.

Plenty of walking and snorkelling, this pretty butterfly was abundant, I had to get a shot, didn't fly away either.

Fujifilm XT-1 with XF35mm lens

You get the idea

A few Snorkelling  Pics From Fitzroy Island.

 I now take mostly movies, although it takes ages to piece them together.

Snorkelling Port Phillip Bay. Rye & Blairgowrie Piers

A few more Snorkelling pictures that have been waiting around to be posted.
Not sure exactly which one is where, the diver is definitely under Rye Pier though.

We didn't see a lot of fish on the day, but the colours were amazing. We are slowly getting used to our wet suits, you are so much more buoyant that you bob around like a cork.

All taken with the Sony TX 210.

You see the funniest Fish at Rye

Snorkelling, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia

Saturday the 11th of April greeted us with a reasonably sunny, but not too warm day.
Just before lunch Lisa my wife suggests a trip to the beach to do a bit of snorkelling, OK sounds great I said, its a good job we've got wet suits.

Another opportunity to take the little Sony TX10  out for a swim, and nice to get some pictures from our local waters.

Moondah beach on Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne ,Victoria

Perfect Snorkelling Depth

There's quite a diverse variety sea life in the Bay, most are very shy, and hard to sneak up on, if you manage to take a picture you will most likely have to crop the image to bring it closer.

A good technique when snorkelling is to just float and let the fish come to you. Taking pictures becomes a bit tricky though, as soon as you move your arms they tend to scatter, that's when you learn how fast fish can swim.

Snapper, Port Phillip Bay

Porcupine Fish Port Phillip Bay

Purple Sea Urchin

School of "White Bait"

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10

My wife and I are keen snorkelers. Trying to Explain to others the wonders and beauty that's under the water was just becoming to hard, this meant  purchasing a camera that wasn't afraid of the water.
I spend quite a long time trolling through reviews without really finding a clear winner, they all had their good and not so good points.
I eventually decided on the Sony TX10, this guy is water proof to 5 meters and can take a knock or two.

Sony TX10 With Lens guard slid down

All things considered I would have to give this little camera a 8.5/10 score.
Its been on many trips with us both overseas and at the Great Barrier Reef and has never let me down.
Couple of tips, always set the camera to "Underwater Mode" before getting in the water, as you can't use the touch screen after that.
The quality and clarity of underwater shots vary immensely being dependent on water depth the amount of particles in the water and the angle of the sun.
I also move my divers watch from my left to right arm so I can loop the strap through its band. If your wearing a "stinger suit" you can then tuck the camera in the sleeve leaving both hands free to get back on the boat.
Its not easy taking pics under water, just be prepared to take many and delete many, as with most things you get better as you go along.
I have always followed the washing instruction supplied with camera, and have no leaks or issues so far.

OK a select few pictiures, I have hundreds, possibly thousands.

Dinner on the beach. Navini Island Fiji

Turtle Lady Elliot Island QLD Australia

Black Tip Reef Shark Navini Island Fiji

Manta Ray. Lady Elliot Island

Clown Fish. Navini Island Fiji

Blue Fin Trevally. Navini Island Fiji

Clown Fish (Nemo) Vanuatu